kam1 bat1 zyu6禁不住
Jyutpingkam1 bat1 zyu6
Yalekām bāt jyuh
Definition
Cannot help; unable to bear, endure, or restrain oneself.
colloquialemotiondaily actions
How it's used
While 禁不住 is understood in Cantonese, it is essentially a loan from written Chinese that feels slightly formal or literary in spoken contexts. Most native speakers prefer the more natural and punchy 忍唔住 when expressing an inability to restrain an action or emotion. Using 禁不住 in casual conversation might make you sound like you are reading from a book or script.
Examples
Seeing them so miserable, I really couldn't help but cry.
Hearing this joke, you won't be able to help but laugh.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 禁不住 to mean 'forbidden' because of the character 禁, but it is strictly used for 'cannot refrain from' in this context. Do not confuse it with 禁止, which means to prohibit or ban.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
